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David Winters (choreographer)
Encyclopedia
David Winters is an English
-born American dance
r, choreographer, producer
, director
, screenwriter
, and actor
. Winters has participated in, directed and produced over 400 television series, specials
, and motion pictures. Of these, he has directed, produced and distributed over fifty films.
, England
, the son of Sadie and Samuel Weizer. His family relocated to the United States
in 1953. He became a naturalized
United States citizen in 1956. Winters began acting a child, appearing in over a hundred various television roles and commercials including Rock,Rock,Rock!
before appearing as Baby John in the original Broadway
production of West Side Story, he was one of only three Broadway cast members to be cast in the film version
.
Following his role in West Side Story, Winters played the role of "Yonkers" in Gypsy
.
, who would go on to find success as an Academy Award nominated actress and Antonia Basilotta (better known as Toni Basil
), who would become widely known for the 1980s song "Mickey
" and Winters would give his students acting and dancing roles in most of the movies and projects he choreographed and they would become known as David Winters and his dancers
.
Winters went on to appear as a regular singer/dancer and choreographer on Hullabaloo
(1965) expanding his previous role on the earlier Shindig!
(1964). Under Eugene Louis Facciuto (aka Luigi), Winters was in dance class with Elliott Gould
. Additionally, Winters taught dance to world famous actors, such as Ann-Margret
, Raquel Welch
and Elvis Presley
. In addition to a credit as guest star on the 1967 Nancy Sinatra
special Movin' With Nancy
, the special also featured his choreography and dancing. This project earned him his first Emmy Award
nomination. Winters would later team up with regular Hullabaloo director Steve Binder
to choreograph dance numbers for the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.
In addition to dancing, Winters also choreographed many major films, including four Elvis Presley
films and later, Barbra Streisand
's A Star Is Born
(1976). Winters often choreographed the productions in which he danced. Winters was nominated for a Special Achievement in Choreography Emmy in 1967, which was unusual, in that choreography
was not a category that year. In addition to the Nancy Sinatra special, Winters choreographed and directed two episodes of The Monkees
. That show is sometimes considered to have launched the music video
as a promotional device. In any case, former Monkee
Michael Nesmith
went on to be a pioneer in American music videos.
In 1970, Winters teamed up with Raquel Welch
with Tom Jones
, John Wayne
, and Bob Hope
for the multi million-dollar TV special Raquel!
. Now seen as a classic '70s timepiece, featuring pop-culture icons of the time, the song and dance extravaganza was filmed around the world - from Paris
, London to Mexico
. Bob Mackie
designed costumes in production numbers of songs from the era, and guest performances, including John Wayne and Bob Hope in the wild West, made the show well received by critics. Winters also choreograhphed the '70s roller disco cult classic "Roller Boogie
".
, Perry Mason
, Suspense, Shindig, Hullabaloo, Lux Video Theatre
as well as appearing in some of the specials as a dancer. He was interviewed and appears in the 2005 documentary Inside Deep Throat
, discussing his two year affair with Linda Lovelace
. He also made an appearance in Linda Lovelace for President
. Other feature films in which Winters has appeared include The Last Horror Film
(1982), Welcome 2 Ibiza
(2002), and Blackbeard
(2006).
in Once Upon a Wheel, Kirk Douglas
in the television adaptation of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (1973), as well as the film version of the successful Alice Cooper
tour Welcome to my Nightmare
(he also served as producer). In the 1980s, he produced, directed, wrote, and co-starred in The Last Horror Film (1982), which he filmed during the Cannes Film Festival
and went on to win numerous awards including the Paris Film Festival Award, the Los Angeles Golden Scroll Award and the Sitges Film Festival Award
.
Winters' 1986 film Thrashin' remains a seminal piece of work in the board sport industry two decades after its initial release.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
chose Winter's 1988 film Space Mutiny
as their target for a November 1997 episode. It is available in that series' home video collection (Volume 4), and runs ten minutes shorter than the original due to the deletion of some Battlestar Galactica
footage.
TV special starring Lucille Ball
(Lucy was also the Executive Producer of the special), Anthony Newley
and the Dave Clark Five and that was sponsored by Monsanto Company.
In 1971 Winters directed and produced Once Upon a Wheel
an ABC
television documentary on the history of auto racing starring and hosted by Paul Newman
co-starring Mario Andretti
, Kirk Douglas
, Hugh Downs
, Dean Martin
, Cesar Romero
, Dick Smothers
and many others. Coca-Cola
sponsored the show.
In the 1970s, in addition to the Raquel Welch special, Winters won a Peabody Award
for producing the 1972 NBC
special The Timex All Star Swing Festival. In 1975, he produced the soft-core film Linda Lovelace for President and Young Lady Chatterly. Winter's two-year affair with Lovelace has been linked to her desire for a Vegas career. In 1978, in a jam-packed Universal Amphitheatre
(now the Gibson Amphitheatre), fans of Diana Ross
, were treated to a concert spectacular, conceived and executed by Winters.
1986 was a turning point for Winters.
After being over-ruled on a casting decision for Thrashin, Winters made the professional decision to control all aspects of future projects. Josh Brolin
was ultimately cast, but Winters' choice was a pre-21 Jump Street
Johnny Depp
.
The 1991 film Raw Nerve featured the unlikely film paring of Glenn Ford
, in his last film role, with that of an adult film actress Traci Lords
.
In 1994, David Winters cast Pamela Anderson
in her first starring role in Raw Justice
also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop, a film produced by Winters in which she costarred with Stacy Keach
, David Keith
and Airplane!
star Robert Hays
. The film won the Bronze Award at the Worldfest-Charleston in the category for dramatic theatrical films under the title Good Cop, Bad Cop. The notable cast was the focus of many reviewers.
The Winters' comedy, Welcome 2 Ibiza
(2002), won the Bangkok Film Festival Audience Award in November 2002.
. His current American production entity is known as Alpha Beta Films International.
In Thailand
, Winters is currently building a large movie studio with acclaimed film director Oliver Stone
which has been dubbed by the press Ollywood.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born American dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
r, choreographer, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Winters has participated in, directed and produced over 400 television series, specials
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
, and motion pictures. Of these, he has directed, produced and distributed over fifty films.
Early life and stage career
Winters was born David Weizer in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of Sadie and Samuel Weizer. His family relocated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1953. He became a naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
United States citizen in 1956. Winters began acting a child, appearing in over a hundred various television roles and commercials including Rock,Rock,Rock!
Rock, Rock, Rock (film)
Rock, Rock, Rock is a 1956 black-and-white motion picture featuring performances from a number of early rock 'n' roll stars, such as Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Teddy Randazzo, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, and The Teenagers with Frankie Lymon as lead singer. Future West Side Story cast member David...
before appearing as Baby John in the original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of West Side Story, he was one of only three Broadway cast members to be cast in the film version
West Side Story (film)
West Side Story is a 1961 musical film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was adapted from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno,...
.
Following his role in West Side Story, Winters played the role of "Yonkers" in Gypsy
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
.
Choreography
Winters started teaching dance and his students included Teri GarrTeri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
, who would go on to find success as an Academy Award nominated actress and Antonia Basilotta (better known as Toni Basil
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
), who would become widely known for the 1980s song "Mickey
Mickey (song)
"Mickey" is a 1982 U.S. new wave song recorded by singer and choreographer Toni Basil. Written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn as "Kitty", it was first recorded by UK popular music group Racey during 1979...
" and Winters would give his students acting and dancing roles in most of the movies and projects he choreographed and they would become known as David Winters and his dancers
David Winters and his dancers
David Winters and his dancers was a key component of Shindig!Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966....
.
Winters went on to appear as a regular singer/dancer and choreographer on Hullabaloo
Hullabaloo (TV series)
Hullabaloo is an American musical variety series that ran on NBC from January 12, 1965 through August 29, 1966. Similar to Shindig! it ran in prime time in contrast to ABC's American Bandstand.-Overview:...
(1965) expanding his previous role on the earlier Shindig!
Shindig!
Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles at the time who also created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley and production executive Art Stolnitz....
(1964). Under Eugene Louis Facciuto (aka Luigi), Winters was in dance class with Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
. Additionally, Winters taught dance to world famous actors, such as Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
, Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. In addition to a credit as guest star on the 1967 Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
special Movin' With Nancy
Movin' With Nancy
Movin' With Nancy was a television special featuring Nancy Sinatra in a series of musical vignettes featuring herself and other artists. Produced by Nancy's production company, Boots Enterprises, Inc., and sponsored by Royal Crown Cola, the show was originally broadcast on the NBC television...
, the special also featured his choreography and dancing. This project earned him his first Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination. Winters would later team up with regular Hullabaloo director Steve Binder
Steve Binder
Steve Binder is an American producer and director. He found success behind the camera on influential TV shows showcasing music, like The T.A.M.I. Show and Hullabaloo...
to choreograph dance numbers for the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.
In addition to dancing, Winters also choreographed many major films, including four Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
films and later, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
's A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
(1976). Winters often choreographed the productions in which he danced. Winters was nominated for a Special Achievement in Choreography Emmy in 1967, which was unusual, in that choreography
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.-Award winners:1950s* 1955 June Taylor – The Jackie Gleason Show* 1956 Tony Charmoli – Your Hit Parade* 1959 Hermes Pan – An Evening with Fred Astaire1970s...
was not a category that year. In addition to the Nancy Sinatra special, Winters choreographed and directed two episodes of The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
. That show is sometimes considered to have launched the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
as a promotional device. In any case, former Monkee
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
went on to be a pioneer in American music videos.
In 1970, Winters teamed up with Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
with Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, and Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
for the multi million-dollar TV special Raquel!
Raquel! (TV program)
Raquel! was an April 26, 1970 CBS television special starring Raquel Welch, Tom Jones, Bob Hope and John Wayne executive produced, directed and choreographed by David Winters produced by Winters' company Winters-Rosen for CBS-TV. On the day of the premier, the show received a 51% share on the...
. Now seen as a classic '70s timepiece, featuring pop-culture icons of the time, the song and dance extravaganza was filmed around the world - from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Bob Mackie
Bob Mackie
Robert Gordon Mackie is an American fashion designer, best known for his costuming for entertainment icons such as Judy Garland, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, and Mitzi Gaynor...
designed costumes in production numbers of songs from the era, and guest performances, including John Wayne and Bob Hope in the wild West, made the show well received by critics. Winters also choreograhphed the '70s roller disco cult classic "Roller Boogie
Roller Boogie
Roller Boogie is a United Artists film starring Linda Blair and introducing Jim Bray The film also stars Beverly Garland, Mark Goddard, and Kimberly Beck, and is directed by Mark L...
".
Acting
In television's early years, Winters appeared in several television episodes, including; The Milton Berle ShowMilton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
, Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, Suspense, Shindig, Hullabaloo, Lux Video Theatre
Lux Video Theatre
Lux Video Theatre, is a weekly television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays....
as well as appearing in some of the specials as a dancer. He was interviewed and appears in the 2005 documentary Inside Deep Throat
Inside Deep Throat
Inside Deep Throat is a 2005 American documentary about the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat and its effects on American society.The film is narrated by Dennis Hopper. The documentary was written, produced, and directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and produced by Brian Grazer...
, discussing his two year affair with Linda Lovelace
Linda Lovelace
Linda Susan Boreman , better known by her stage name Linda Lovelace, was an American pornographic actress who was famous for her performance of deep throat fellatio in the enormously successful 1972 hardcore porn film Deep Throat...
. He also made an appearance in Linda Lovelace for President
Linda Lovelace for President
Linda Lovelace for President is a 1975 David Winters comedy film directed by Claudio Guzman and starring Linda Lovelace, who achieved notoriety as the central character in the 1972 most profitable X-rated film of all time Deep Throat.-Plot:...
. Other feature films in which Winters has appeared include The Last Horror Film
The Last Horror Film
The Last Horror Film is a 1982 cult horror film directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro...
(1982), Welcome 2 Ibiza
Welcome 2 Ibiza
Welcome 2 Ibiza is an American Action comedy film, about a young American girl that inherits a rundown bar and then gets involved in a hostage rescue drama. Filmed on location on the Spanish Mediterranean Island of Ibiza in 2002....
(2002), and Blackbeard
Blackbeard (film)
Blackbeard is an adventure–drama miniseries based on the pirate Blackbeard. It premiered on Hallmark Channel on June 17, 2006. The Kevin Connor film was shot on location in Thailand, the town of New Providence built on a coconut plantation...
(2006).
Directing
In the late 1960s, Winters began directing beginning with two episodes of The Monkees. He also directed Paul NewmanPaul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
in Once Upon a Wheel, Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
in the television adaptation of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (1973), as well as the film version of the successful Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
tour Welcome to my Nightmare
Welcome to My Nightmare (film)
Welcome to My Nightmare is a 1976 music concert film of Alice Cooper's show of the same name, produced, directed and choreographed by David Winters...
(he also served as producer). In the 1980s, he produced, directed, wrote, and co-starred in The Last Horror Film (1982), which he filmed during the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and went on to win numerous awards including the Paris Film Festival Award, the Los Angeles Golden Scroll Award and the Sitges Film Festival Award
Festival de Cine de Sitges
The Sitges Film Festival is a Spanish film festival that is one of the most recognizable ones held in Europe, considered the world's foremost international festival specializing in fantasy and horror movies...
.
Winters' 1986 film Thrashin' remains a seminal piece of work in the board sport industry two decades after its initial release.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
chose Winter's 1988 film Space Mutiny
Space Mutiny
Space Mutiny is a 1988 South African science-fiction action film about a mutiny aboard the spaceship known as the Southern Sun.- Plot :...
as their target for a November 1997 episode. It is available in that series' home video collection (Volume 4), and runs ten minutes shorter than the original due to the deletion of some Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
footage.
Producing
David's production career began in 1966, when he co-produced the Lucy in LondonLucy in London
Lucy in London is a 1966 prime-time TV special produced and directed by Steve Binder, co-produced and choreographed by David Winters and sponsored by Monsanto Company...
TV special starring Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
(Lucy was also the Executive Producer of the special), Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley
Anthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
and the Dave Clark Five and that was sponsored by Monsanto Company.
In 1971 Winters directed and produced Once Upon a Wheel
Once Upon a Wheel
Once Upon a Wheel is a 1971 ABC television documentary on the history of auto racing. It was hosted by Paul Newman and was directed and produced by David Winters....
an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television documentary on the history of auto racing starring and hosted by Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
co-starring Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
, Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
, Hugh Downs
Hugh Downs
Hugh Malcolm Downs is a long time American broadcaster, television host, news anchor, TV producer, author, game show host, and music composer; and is perhaps best known for his role as co-host the NBC News program Today from 1962 to 1971, host of the Concentration game show from 1958 to 1969, and...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Cesar Romero
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was an American film and television actor who was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years...
, Dick Smothers
Dick Smothers
Richard Remick "Dick" Smothers is an American actor, comedian, composer and musician. He is best known for being half of the musical comedy team, the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.-Life and career:...
and many others. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
sponsored the show.
In the 1970s, in addition to the Raquel Welch special, Winters won a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for producing the 1972 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
special The Timex All Star Swing Festival. In 1975, he produced the soft-core film Linda Lovelace for President and Young Lady Chatterly. Winter's two-year affair with Lovelace has been linked to her desire for a Vegas career. In 1978, in a jam-packed Universal Amphitheatre
Gibson Amphitheatre
The Gibson Amphitheatre is a theatre located in Universal City, California, USA. It seats up to 6,189 for concerts, including 6,089 chairback seats...
(now the Gibson Amphitheatre), fans of Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, were treated to a concert spectacular, conceived and executed by Winters.
1986 was a turning point for Winters.
After being over-ruled on a casting decision for Thrashin, Winters made the professional decision to control all aspects of future projects. Josh Brolin
Josh Brolin
Josh James Brolin is an American actor. He has acted in theater, film and television roles since 1985, and won acting awards for his roles in the films W., No Country for Old Men, Milk and True Grit.-Early life:...
was ultimately cast, but Winters' choice was a pre-21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
.
The 1991 film Raw Nerve featured the unlikely film paring of Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
, in his last film role, with that of an adult film actress Traci Lords
Traci Lords
Traci Lords , also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an American film actress, producer, film director, writer and singer...
.
In 1994, David Winters cast Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
in her first starring role in Raw Justice
Raw Justice
Raw Justice also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop or Strip Girl is a 1994 film starring Stacy Keach, David Keith, Airplane! star Robert Hays and Pamela Anderson.- Plot summary :...
also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop, a film produced by Winters in which she costarred with Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
, David Keith
David Keith
David Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...
and Airplane!
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
star Robert Hays
Robert Hays
Robert Hays is an American actor and is arguably most well known for his role in the movie Airplane!-Life and career:...
. The film won the Bronze Award at the Worldfest-Charleston in the category for dramatic theatrical films under the title Good Cop, Bad Cop. The notable cast was the focus of many reviewers.
The Winters' comedy, Welcome 2 Ibiza
Welcome 2 Ibiza
Welcome 2 Ibiza is an American Action comedy film, about a young American girl that inherits a rundown bar and then gets involved in a hostage rescue drama. Filmed on location on the Spanish Mediterranean Island of Ibiza in 2002....
(2002), won the Bangkok Film Festival Audience Award in November 2002.
Winters' Production Companies
Action International Pictures was organized by Winters with partners David A. Prior and Peter Yuval, in 1986, the same year as the Thrashin' Incident. Winters bought out his partners in AIP in 1992 and re-branded it as West Side Studios. In 1999 Winters and his British business partner Patrick Meehan took their Equator Films public, in 2004 that company purchased HandMade FilmsHandmade Films
HandMade Films is a British film production and distribution company. Through a series of sales, and acquisitions, the company now known as Handmade Plc owns all the rights and assets of the original HandMade Films Ltd...
. His current American production entity is known as Alpha Beta Films International.
In Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Winters is currently building a large movie studio with acclaimed film director Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
which has been dubbed by the press Ollywood.
Notoriety
- Winters admits on his website, that he crashed Sal MineoSal MineoSalvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause...
's car while staying on the West Coast during the filming of West Side Story. - Winters came forward with alternate theories about the death of his friend David CarradineDavid CarradineDavid Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
- Eccentric Cinema was quoted as saying about Winters' Space Mutiny:
-
"Quite possibly the worst science fiction/space adventure film made in English... Even the horrendously bad Shape Of Things To Come (1979)
H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to ComeH. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come is a Canadian science fiction motion picture first released in May 1979.Although credited to H. G. Wells, the film takes only its title and some character names from The Shape of Things to Come, Wells' speculative novel from 1933. The plot bears no...
can't aspire to such depths of total putrescence. I speak of the notorious Made-In-South Africa Space Mutiny".
Actor
- Studio One (1 episode, 1950)
- The United States Steel HourThe United States Steel HourThe United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
(1 episode, 1954) - Naked CityNaked City (TV series)Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
(1 episode, 1958) - The Detectives Starring Robert TaylorThe Detectives Starring Robert TaylorThe Detectives Starring Robert Taylor is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season...
(1 episode, 1961) - West Side StoryWest Side Story (film)West Side Story is a 1961 musical film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was adapted from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno,...
(1961) - Take Her, She's MineTake Her, She's MineTake Her, She's Mine is a 1963 comedy film starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee. The film was written by Henry Ephron, Phoebe Ephron, and Nunnally Johnson, with Dee's character based on the then 22-year-old Nora Ephron, and directed by Henry Koster...
(Uncredited, 1963) - The New Interns (1964)
- Burke's LawBurke's LawBurke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
(1 episode, 1965) - Love on a RooftopLove on a RooftopLove on a Rooftop is an American sitcom about a newlywed couple, Dave and Julie Willis, and their humorous struggles to survive in San Francisco on Dave's apprentice architect's salary of $85.37 a week...
(1 episode, 1967) - BlackbeardBlackbeard (film)Blackbeard is an adventure–drama miniseries based on the pirate Blackbeard. It premiered on Hallmark Channel on June 17, 2006. The Kevin Connor film was shot on location in Thailand, the town of New Providence built on a coconut plantation...
(2006)
Choreographer
- Viva Las VegasViva Las VegasViva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
(1964) - Pajama PartyPajama Party (film)Pajama Party is a 1964 beach party film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. This is the fourth in a series of seven beach films produced by American International Pictures...
(1964) - Girl HappyGirl HappyGirl Happy is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy in the beach party film and spring break style, starring Elvis Presley.This was the last mega-successful Elvis Presley film at the box office, finishing at #25 on the Variety year-end top-grossing films of 1965 chart and making $3 million,...
(Uncredited, 1965) - Tickle MeTickle MeTickle Me is a 1965 Western musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull-rider and bronco-buster. Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as the best male actor in a musical film for his role in this comedy. It is also the only Elvis film released by Allied Artists...
(1965) - Made in ParisMade in ParisMade in Paris is a 1966 American romantic comedy film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Louis Jourdan, Ann-Margaret, and Richard Crenna.This was the last screen credit for veteran MGM musical director Georgie Stoll before retirement....
(1966) - Lucy in LondonLucy in LondonLucy in London is a 1966 prime-time TV special produced and directed by Steve Binder, co-produced and choreographed by David Winters and sponsored by Monsanto Company...
(1966) - Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose (1968)
- Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love (1969)
- The Special London Bridge Special (1972)
- The Star Wars Holiday SpecialThe Star Wars Holiday SpecialThe Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 American television special set in the Star Wars galaxy. It was one of the first official Star Wars spin-offs, and was directed by Steve Binder. The show was broadcast in its entirety only once, in the United States and Canada, November 17, 1978, on the U.S...
(1978) - Roller BoogieRoller BoogieRoller Boogie is a United Artists film starring Linda Blair and introducing Jim Bray The film also stars Beverly Garland, Mark Goddard, and Kimberly Beck, and is directed by Mark L...
(1979)
Director
- The Ann-Margret Show (1968)
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973)
- Welcome to my NightmareWelcome to My Nightmare (film)Welcome to My Nightmare is a 1976 music concert film of Alice Cooper's show of the same name, produced, directed and choreographed by David Winters...
(1975) - Racquet (1979)
- The Last Horror FilmThe Last Horror FilmThe Last Horror Film is a 1982 cult horror film directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro...
(1982) - That Was Rock (1984)
- Girls of Rock & Roll (1985)
- Thrashin' (1986)
- Rage to Kill (1987)
- The Mission... Kill (1987)
- Space MutinySpace MutinySpace Mutiny is a 1988 South African science-fiction action film about a mutiny aboard the spaceship known as the Southern Sun.- Plot :...
(1988)
Producer
- Raquel!Raquel! (TV program)Raquel! was an April 26, 1970 CBS television special starring Raquel Welch, Tom Jones, Bob Hope and John Wayne executive produced, directed and choreographed by David Winters produced by Winters' company Winters-Rosen for CBS-TV. On the day of the premier, the show received a 51% share on the...
(1970) - Once Upon a WheelOnce Upon a WheelOnce Upon a Wheel is a 1971 ABC television documentary on the history of auto racing. It was hosted by Paul Newman and was directed and produced by David Winters....
(1971) - Linda Lovelace for PresidentLinda Lovelace for PresidentLinda Lovelace for President is a 1975 David Winters comedy film directed by Claudio Guzman and starring Linda Lovelace, who achieved notoriety as the central character in the 1972 most profitable X-rated film of all time Deep Throat.-Plot:...
(Executive producer, 1975) - Deadly PreyDeadly PreyDeadly Prey is a 1986 film that was first screened in the United States in March 1987 at that year's American Film Market. After The Winters Group helped finance David A...
(Executive producer, 1986) - MankillersMankillersMankillers, also known as 12 Wild Women, was filmed in 1986 in and around Riverside, California, United States and was written and directed by David A. Prior...
(Executive producer, 1986) - Space MutinySpace MutinySpace Mutiny is a 1988 South African science-fiction action film about a mutiny aboard the spaceship known as the Southern Sun.- Plot :...
(1988) - Hell on the Battleground (1989)
- Future ForceFuture Force (film)Future Force is a 1989 science-fiction film written and directed by David A. Prior and starring David Carradine. A 1990 sequel to the film was made called Future Zone.-Synopsis:...
(1989) - Future ZoneFuture ZoneFuture Zone is a 1990 science-fiction film written and directed by David A. Prior and starring David Carradine. It was the sequel to the 1989 film Future Force.-Synopsis:...
(1990) - The Final SanctionThe Final Sanction (film)The Final Sanction is a 1990 film, directed by David A. Prior and starring Ted Prior, William Smith and Robert Z'Dar.-Plot:The United States and Russia have had a nuclear exchange, wiping out most of humanity in the process...
(1990) - Raw Nerve (Executive producer, 1991)
- Raw JusticeRaw JusticeRaw Justice also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop or Strip Girl is a 1994 film starring Stacy Keach, David Keith, Airplane! star Robert Hays and Pamela Anderson.- Plot summary :...
(1994) - Welcome 2 IbizaWelcome 2 IbizaWelcome 2 Ibiza is an American Action comedy film, about a young American girl that inherits a rundown bar and then gets involved in a hostage rescue drama. Filmed on location on the Spanish Mediterranean Island of Ibiza in 2002....
(2002) - The King MakerThe King MakerThe King Maker The King Maker The King Maker (Thai: กบฎท้าวศรีสุดาจันทร์ , or The Rebellion of Queen Sudachan, is a 2005 Thai historical drama film set during the Ayutthaya kingdom. With a storyline that shares many similarities to 2001's The Legend of Suriyothai, The King Maker's plot focuses on a...
(2005)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Nominated | Special Classification of Individual Achievements | Movin' with Nancy |
| 1970 | Outstanding Achievement in Choreography | Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love | ||
| 1971 | Best International Sports Documentary | Won | TV Special | Once Upon a Wheel (1971 TV program) |
| World Television Festival Award | TV Special | |||
| 1972 | Christopher Award Christopher Award The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"... |
Won | TV Special | Timex All Star Swing Festival (Shared with Burt Rosen, Bernard Rothman, and Jack Wohl) |
| 2002 | Bangkok Film Festival | Won | Audience Award for Best Picture | Welcome 2 Ibiza |
External links
- David Winters Youtube Channel
- David Winters tribute site
- Winters on excerpt from Hullabaloo on AOL VideoAOLAOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
- Interview with Winters on the Bobby Darrin Tribute site
- Net images of Winters as Silas Bridges in Blackbeard (2006) on hotflix.net
- http://people.famouswhy.com/david_winters/
- http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/george_chakiris_and_who_starred_in_west_side_story
- http://www.dvdizer.com/actor/Winters-David.html
- http://www.gokpop.com/news/david-winters-offers-taeyang-and-jay-park-role-in-dance-movie::6442.html
- http://www.fanpix.net/gallery/david-winters-pictures.htm
- http://www.magickpapers.com/blog/?p=400